Well, we warned you. Back in August we threatened to show up en masse in Austin, TX, in March 2014, in search of barbeque electronics enthusiasts, and the time has come! Starting Monday, March 3, various contingents of SparkFunions will be bringing our enthusiasm and expertise in hands-on electronics learning to several barbeque purveyors events for South by Southwest! See, here we are:

Proof.

Our biggest event at SXSW will be a free, hands-on e-textiles workshop as part of SXSW Create. Anyone who wants to come hang out will receive one-on-one instruction, as well as the tools and materials to create their own light-up, customizable electronic accessory. Create is a series of activities, experiences and community events dedicated to celebrating makers, hackers and the DIY movement (our favorites), and is open to the public. The workshop will be up and running 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Friday, March 7, through Sunday, March 9, in the Long Center for the Performing Arts. You guys, the poster alone:

I mean.

For SXSW Edu passholders, delegates from SparkFun’s Department of Education will host a specialized panel of national educators for "Build, Create and Hack: Bringing STEAM into K-12" on Tuesday, March 4, at 1:30 p.m. in the Austin Convention Center. This panel will offer discussion around the best practices, challenges and successes of developing Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) programs within schools across the US to help address national education needs.

SparkFun’s educators will also host two booths displaying interactive project demos with the MaKey MaKey, paper circuits, high-altitude balloons and other products. The displays will be open in the SXSWEdu Playground in Booth #9 from Monday, March 3, through Thursday, March 6, in the Austin Convention Center. The demos will also be on display at Booth #103 on Tuesday, March 4, as part of the Education Expo from 2:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. in the Austin Convention Center. The Education Expo is free and open to the public.

CEO Nathan will also be wandering around during SXSW Create, at the disposal of anyone interested in barbeque donations discussing current and upcoming SparkFun projects, ideas for new products, and goldfish crackers. Nate loves goldfish crackers.

If you managed to snag a pass to SXSW Edu don’t miss out on the panel we’re hosting, but if you don’t have a SXSW badge, anyone can participate in the e-textiles workshop and check out some demos at the Education Expo. If you’ll be in Austin next week we’d love to see you, so stop by, say hi and make a thing!

In 2003, CU student Nate Seidle fried a power supply in his dorm room and, in lieu of a way to order easy replacements, decided to start his own company. Since then, SparkFun has been committed to sustainably helping our world achieve electronics literacy from our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.

No matter your vision, SparkFun's products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. In addition to over 2,000 open source components and widgets, SparkFun offers curriculum, training and online tutorials designed to help demystify the wonderful world of embedded electronics. We're here to help you start something.